13 Powerful WNBA Documentaries to Stream Until Women’s Basketball Returns
The 2024 WNBA season was breathtaking to watch. Powerhouse teams, dedicated players, a fan base like no other, and a championship series that left us on the edge of our seats — what’s not to love about this franchise?
On the night of Sunday, October 19 in Brooklyn, the New York Liberty won their first WNBA championship, beating the Minnesota Lynx by just five points in overtime. While closing out the trophy presentation to a record-breaking audience, sports telecaster Holly Rowe said, “This is what women’s sports can be when you will invest. Can’t wait to see the WNBA next season.”
Just because the 2024 season has ended does not mean we have to give up women’s basketball completely. This season has proven the WNBA is more than just a sport. If you’re looking to learn about the league, its players, and history, consider a tense and political conflict documented in Power of the Dream, or the rise of rookie stardom through iconic Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark in Full Court Press. Or if you’re just looking for a laugh, who could forget the hilarious Sydney Colson and Theresa Plaisance in The Syd + TP Show?
Here’s everything WNBA on streaming platforms, guaranteed to get you hype for the next season.
Power of the Dream
Power of the Dream is a must-watch for all WNBA fans, especially for those unaware of how many social justice movements started in the WNBA. The documentary examines a tense and pivotal conflict in 2020 when Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler criticized the WNBA’s support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Through the accounts of players and media figures, the documentary emphasizes the need for political discussions in any franchise — and the importance of using growing platforms to advocate for human rights.
Streaming on Prime Video
The Syd + TP Show
“What we bring on the court, we wanna bring to people’s TV screens. So, probably about a five-minute show on average,” says Las Vegas Aces benchwarmer Sydney Colson, with former bench-warming teammate Theresa Plaisance standing next to her as they pitch The Syd + TP Show. The unscripted series follows the hilarious duo through a variety of stunts and interviews they’re convinced will help them become the new faces of the WNBA. Whether its making mixtapes, attending couples therapy, or running a basketball clinic for kids, Colson and Plaisance prove themselves to be lovable players through their quick-witted humor. If they haven’t fully convinced you they’re the best basketball players on Earth, they should at least earn the title for most unserious.
Streaming on Fubo
Unfinished Business
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the New York Liberty and their fight back into the 2021 playoffs after not being in it since 2017. Unfinished Business highlights the team and the franchise’s history over time, acknowledging the WNBA’s highs and lows. It’s an underrated documentary showcasing unwritten women’s sports history consisting of activism, strength, and perseverance. It also makes a great watch if you’re interested in the history leading up to the 2024 championship win.
Streaming on Prime Video
The Queen of Basketball
Lusia Harris is a basketball legend. She was the first and only woman to ever be drafted into the NBA, and scored the first basket in women’s Olympic history. Director Ben Proudfoot and producers Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen Curry answer the big question: why has nobody ever heard of Lusia Harris? The Queen of Basketball examines the history of an icon, and how she helped pave the way for the WNBA.
Streaming on Fubo
Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi: The Greatest Duo
Longtime teammates and friends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi are arguably two of the most iconic players in WNBA history. They started playing basketball together at UConn, where Bird got drafted first in 2002 by the Seattle Storm. Soon after, Taurasi got drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in 2004. Bird was a calm, natural leader on the court, whereas Taurasi was very competitive and became known as the queen of technical fouls. Viewers could feel how passionate they were about basketball when they went head to head. Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi: The Greatest Duo is an eight-episode series created by Nike and TOGETHXR, highlighting their careers through their personal accounts.
Available on YouTube
Raise the Stakes
Twenty-four points and 16 rebounds from A’ja Wilson, and a jaw-dropping defensive stop that prevented the New York Liberty from tying the game at the very last second, the Las Vegas Aces proved themselves as a force to be reckoned with in their 2023 championship win. They became the first repeat champs in 21 years, and what better way to learn about the team than a documentary highlighting their journey to this historic win? Raise the Stakes examines the individual players, coach, and former WNBA player Becky Hammon and their road to success.
Available on YouTube
Year 1
Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Nika Muhl, and Rickea Jackson are just getting started. The docuseries Year 1 follows these rookies from the draft through the regular season and into the playoffs. This WNBA season has proved it’s the year of the rookies. The league has seen an increase in ticket sales and attendance like never before, and it’s only going to grow with these new players shaking things up.
Available on YouTube
Dream On
The three-part documentary is an intimate exploration of the 1996 Olympic women’s basketball team. But for this team in particular, it was more than just basketball. Through archived footage and personal accounts, the series shows it was their moment to prove that women could play basketball professionally. The team faced many hardships. Women’s competitive basketball was new at the time, having been established in 1976. So when they earned bronze in 1992, making it their first lost, they immediately faced backlash and criticism. Coming into the 1996 Olympics, they needed to win gold to be taken seriously. If it weren’t for these eleven women, who knows where the WNBA would be today.
Streaming on ESPN+
Shattered Glass: A WNBPA Story
It’s important to remind ourselves that behind every performance is a person. New York Liberty players Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, along with Seattle Storm player Nneka Ogwumike, show their lives outside of basketball in Shattered Glass: A WNBPA Story. Through a glimpse at the players lives, the documentary does a great job humanizing professional athletes. There’s a little bit of everything in this watch. Family, basketball, history, and a call to action for the future of women’s sports.
Streaming on Tubi
Full Court Press
Watch the making of Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, and Kiki Rice in Full Court Press, a docuseries that follows the lives of these elite women’s basketball stars in college. These powerhouses show the benefits of college stardom. From doing deals with beats headphones, popping up on billboards in Times Square, to even starring in State Farm ads, they’ve created an exciting era for women’s basketball that guarantees the future will be promising.
Streaming on ESPN+
Sue Bird: In the Clutch
Through interviews with family, friends, and her fiancé, Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird: In the Clutch takes a look at Bird’s legendary WNBA career. It’s a moving documentary that examines her identity and sexuality from her first to the penultimate season before retirement. It does a good job acknowledging the many women who had to hide their sexuality at the beginning of their careers because of advertisers who wanted players to appeal to a straight male audience. The now happily out, four-time WNBA championship, and five-time Olympic gold medalist winner spends her time advocating for social justice and women’s sports.
Streaming on Netflix
Candace Parker: Unapologetic
Candace Parker, also known as “Ace,” was selected as the first pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. Candace Parker: Unapologetic allows Parker to open up about her life as a professional basketball player. Her astonishing career left an impact on the WNBA. Here, she takes the time to address not only this, but also the importance of telling other women’s stories.
Streaming on ESPN+
Brittney Griner
Phoenix Mercury basketball player Brittney Griner has been through a lot. The three-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time WNBA All Star was detained, arrested, and sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia in 2022 for cannabis possession. This ESPN documentary follows Griner in the aftermath of this traumatic event. Exclusive footage and archival material, combined with her personal account, make this a vulnerable watch that emphasizes the importance of advocacy for wrongful detainees.
Streaming on ESPN+
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